Ethics Committee waggles finger at Burris over perjurious testimony
posted at 2:06 pm on November 20, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Who says that Congress can’t police itself? The same body that couldn’t find any reason to toss out Chris Dodd for accepting sweetheart deals from Countrywide Mortgage while policing the industry also couldn’t find any reason to do anything but scold Roland Burris for lying about the circumstances of his interim appointment to the Senate. The Ethics Committee passed on recommending punishment for Burris’ lies about his interactions with Rod Blagojevich in the wake of the latter’s indictment for corruption:
The U.S. Senate ethics committee on Friday admonished a Democratic senator for making “inconsistent, misleading or incomplete” statements about the circumstances surrounding his appointment to the seat once held by Barack Obama. The committee did not recommend any punishment.
Sen. Roland Burris was appointed by disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and driven from office after he was accused of trying to sell the Senate seat. …
The committee wrote Burris that his phone conversation with the former governor’s brother was inappropriate. It says Robert Blagojevich called Burris on Nov. 13, 2008, seeking to raise funds for his brother, and Burris appeared to agree.
An admonishment! Well, that certainly stings, doesn’t it?
The Ethics Committee says it could find no evidence of lawbreaking in Burris’ actions. If not, they must have had their eyes closed. Let’s review the record, shall we?
- Burris lied to the Illinois legislature about speaking to Blago’s brother Robert, and then lied about why he lied
- Burris lied about agreeing to raise funds for Blagojevich while discussing appointment
- Burris covered up a solicitation for $10,000 from Blago’s brother
- Burris covered up his promise to cut a check for $1500 to Blago
Well, other than that, Burris’ ethics are perfectly acceptable to his colleagues on the Ethics Committee. That speaks volumes … about the Senate and its leadership.
Blowback
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Investigate Bush and Chaney!!! It’s their fault!!!
/sarc
search4truth on November 20, 2009 at 2:09 PM
The horror of th1s punishment for an old man like Burris…
Great job ETHICS committee.
originalpechanga on November 20, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Ooooh… It’s a qualified admonishment.
Drained Brain on November 20, 2009 at 2:10 PM
He’s perfect for Illinois! Or at least Chicago.
stldave on November 20, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Ohhh. They are reprimanding a democrat who is on his way out next election.
Not impressed.
portlandon on November 20, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Warm up the tar and march on DC.
SirGawain on November 20, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Impeached yes……….disgraced, I’m not too sure anymore. They couldn’t force Blago to overdose on aspirin or jump into the Chicago River. He’s going to sing like a canary and I for one can’t wait.
Knucklehead on November 20, 2009 at 2:11 PM
BUSH MADE ME LIE.
ETHICS DIED.
Mr. Joe on November 20, 2009 at 2:13 PM
Royalty will always find a way to protect their own. If the founding fathers knew what sort of human trash would someday represent America, perhaps they might have called off the revolution and said “What’s the point”, and who could blame them.
Bishop on November 20, 2009 at 2:13 PM
and the ethics committee.
Connie on November 20, 2009 at 2:13 PM
You don’t honestly think the dems would kiss of their 60th Obamacare vote over something trivial like a senator paying an indicted governor for his senate seat did you?
DJ Rick on November 20, 2009 at 2:14 PM
RACIST!
/
christene on November 20, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Ouch! Only us locals probably will get that reference.
Aren’t they thing od moving the trial from July to Septemeber? That would be some sweeeeeet timing.
WashJeff on November 20, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Ed, lying may be a problem in Minnesota, but here in Illinois it’s a resume enhancer.
jwolf on November 20, 2009 at 2:14 PM
If an admonishment makes for justice, no wonder they like the UN.
kc8ukw on November 20, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Is this the same congress that we would like to investigate the unfair firing of I.G. Walpin?
fourdeucer on November 20, 2009 at 2:15 PM
Racists .
borntoraisehogs on November 20, 2009 at 2:18 PM
The Ethics Committee is a joke. A meaningless body.
WisCon on November 20, 2009 at 2:18 PM
That’s what I don’t get. He’s a lameduck unelected Senator in a deep blue state. You’d think if there’s one person they could punish without worrying about it jeopardizing their chances of retaining the seat, it would be Burris.
It’s clear the only solution at this point is to vote every last one of them out. Not just the corrupt politicians, but also the ones who are covering for them.
Doughboy on November 20, 2009 at 2:19 PM
This probably means Rangel will get a slap on the wrist if anything at all…
*sigh*
cmsinaz on November 20, 2009 at 2:20 PM
Punishment is racist. Duh.
txag92 on November 20, 2009 at 2:20 PM
And these are the people that are claiming the moral and ethical highground on healthcare. The men and women in congress are akin to child molestors operating a daycare.
Daveyardbird on November 20, 2009 at 2:21 PM
No. That seat is very much in play and, right now, it would switch to the GOP.
WashJeff on November 20, 2009 at 2:22 PM
I’m not so sure there’s even going to be a trial. In typical Chicago fashion, this could drag on for years or until Blago ends up in the trunk of car up at O’Hare airport or accidently falls into Lake Michigan.
Knucklehead on November 20, 2009 at 2:22 PM
Get Fox’s Grif Jenkins to go stalk Burris once a week for a while to make a jacka** out of him again. Jenkins is a twerp, but he did a great job of cornering Burris after the ACORN videos broke.
BuckeyeSam on November 20, 2009 at 2:23 PM
Something to keep in ye olde hip pocket…
Horatius on November 20, 2009 at 2:24 PM
You’re right. Although it could go to Mark Kirk who ain’t much better than a Dem.
Doughboy on November 20, 2009 at 2:29 PM
His hair would make a good breeding ground for bass.
WashJeff on November 20, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Kirk is not going to score high on the conservative scale, but he is much much better than a Dem. We will be able to count on him for tax cut votes. He will not vote for cap and trade once southern IL is his constituency (I think IL if we dug is the BIGGEST coal state. we have more energy than Saudi Arabia).
As long as he is not setting the GOP agenda in the senate, and he won’t, we will be better off with him in office.
Now with that said, I will not be voting for him in the primary.
WashJeff on November 20, 2009 at 2:33 PM
And yet, he is less corrupt than the president.
Griz on November 20, 2009 at 2:38 PM
I heard Burris scathing reprimand by the Ethics Committee went something like “You need to start faking your ethical standards at least as well as this esteemed Ethics Committee does.”
viking01 on November 20, 2009 at 2:43 PM
The ethically corrupt, leading the ethically corrupt.
capejasmine on November 20, 2009 at 2:45 PM
By Chicago politics standards, he is pretty clean.
It’s altogether fitting that he should fill Obama’s seat.
molonlabe28 on November 20, 2009 at 2:46 PM
Problem is, if you go after Burris then at least 60 Senators, maybe 350-400 Representatives, the Attorney General and the President who could then all be hauled into the dock, tried and punished. After all, they are perjurers and worse themselves.
But perjury, like treason, is simply business as usual in our government today.
We have surrendered our nation into the hands of totalitarian scum, and the chances of making them pay for their crimes have dwindled to zero.
MrScribbler on November 20, 2009 at 2:47 PM
If anyone expecting a liberal to be ethical, you will have a very, very long wait.
jukin on November 20, 2009 at 2:47 PM
Throw out the bums.
Johan Klaus on November 20, 2009 at 2:47 PM
Gentlemen, this is a War Room! There’ll be no fighting in here!
viking01 on November 20, 2009 at 2:50 PM
No surpise that professional liars are okay with someone committing perjury. Business as usual.
rukiddingme on November 20, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Just for laughs, what does a “qualified admonition” mean? The closest I’ve found so far is an excerpt from a book on Puerto Rican and Cuban law, in which the first step is a reprension simple or “simple admonition” and the second step is a reprension calificado or “qualified admonition.”
Drained Brain on November 20, 2009 at 2:52 PM
If Burris were running for reelection, sure. But that’s not the race we’re going to get. I have a hard time believing we’re going to pick up this seat — although I would dearly love to see it happen.
jwolf on November 20, 2009 at 2:53 PM
This guarantees his vote for whatever the democrats desire. And without having to give him anything! Sweet!
Freddy on November 20, 2009 at 2:56 PM
November 20, 2009
Top 10 Reasons you might be a progressive
Chris Duco
Top 10 reasons you might be a progressive:
10. If you are an ACORN employee who tried to organize other ACORN employees into a union but were stopped by ACORN’s illegal union busting activities while ACORN fights to unionize OTHER companies… you might be a progressive.
9. If in the year 2009, you belong to a congressional caucus that uses skin color as it’s only membership criteria… you might be a progressive.
8. If you are a congress person who belongs to a congressional caucus started by a self described socialist, and you think it is OK… you might be a progressive.
7. If you are a congress person in a “free country” who has a Freudian Slip and tells someone you want to nationalize their whole industry while at the same time you are directing tax payer dollars to save a company you are part owner of… you might be a progressive.
6. If you are the Ohio spokesperson for a Presidential campaign and you vote in that swing state instead of your home state as the law requires… you might be a progressive.
5. If you get an appointment in the Department of Transportation within that winning administration despite your illegal voter fraud activities… you might be a progressive.
4. If an organization you work for is paid almost a million dollars by a Presidential campaign to register voters, the organization endorses that campaign’s candidate and only turns in registrations for that candidate’s party and that organization is tax exempt… you might be a progressive.
3. If you call people who drive cross-country with hand made signs because they heard there was going to be a protest against big government “astro-turf” but you call the people paid below minimum wage waving professionally printed signs that were handed out to them as they get off a bus paid for by a PAC “grass roots”… you might be a progressive.
2. If you find yourself at a rally chanting that health care is a human right while forgetting that doctors are not slaves and you actually don’t have a right to lay claim to their skills and abilities for free… you just might be a progressive.
1. If you think Carbon Dioxide, the gas required by plants to convert solar energy into usable chemical energy in the photosynthetic process, the very source of all food on the planet, is a pollutant… you might be a progressive.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/11/top_10_reasons_you_might_be_a.html
capejasmine on November 20, 2009 at 3:00 PM
IS there any other dem beside Alexi Giannoulias? IN this environment, his aledged family mob ties and party affilation should be enough to sink him. Kirk should be able to run circles around him in a debate.
WashJeff on November 20, 2009 at 3:03 PM
What more could have been expected from crooks judging crooks.
rplat on November 20, 2009 at 3:05 PM
I’ll bet KSM is glad he’s not a Democrat. It would be hell to be “admonished” for 9/11 in a federal court!
Star20 on November 20, 2009 at 3:23 PM
Dunno about anyone else, but I heard a strongly implied “boy” at the end of that qualified admonishment.
Crawford on November 20, 2009 at 3:35 PM
It is a well known documented fact here in Chicago that Roland “Magic Man” Burris has a pre-made masoleum waiting for the day he finally at long last assumes room temperature.
Carved into the marble walls of that masoleum is the list of his “political accomplishments” during his less than distinquished career here in Illinois.
It is also a known fact that the last inscription he desperately wanted added to that list was the one that read “SENATOR”, and thanks to disgraced former Governor and soon-to-be prison inmate Rod Blagojevich, he got his wish.
So any ethics committee slap on the wrist that is dealt in his direction, not to mention the fact that there is no way he would ever be actually elected to the position if he chose to run in 2010, is meaningless to him at this point.
Just as long as he has that inscription “SENATOR” on his tombstone, that is enough for the likes of Roland Burris.
pilamaye on November 20, 2009 at 3:40 PM
Compared to the Osama Obama/Daley/Blago mob, an alleged member of an honest crime “family” would be a welcome change for the better!
MrScribbler on November 20, 2009 at 4:02 PM
Sigh. It’s come to this. And the worst part is — I’m not sure I disagree!
jwolf on November 20, 2009 at 4:29 PM
He is a dirty corrupt Chicago Democrat.
But he is not corrupt corrupt Democrat.
seven on November 20, 2009 at 4:55 PM
NO WAY a black Chicago Democrat is going to be lectured by this congress for anything short of shooting someone. Depending on who it was they shot, that might be excused too.
Besides, doesn’t Burris make up the foursome occasionally in the Senate Liar’s Club Poker Tournament?
bradley11 on November 20, 2009 at 4:58 PM
“Waggles”? Must be a yankee word.
SouthernGent on November 20, 2009 at 5:22 PM
DEMOCRATS are FILTH.
leftnomore on November 20, 2009 at 5:22 PM
US Senate – “ETHICS” – aren’t those mutually exclusive terms?
GarandFan on November 20, 2009 at 9:47 PM
Last I checked, Democrats don’t see perjury as a crime.
Why would anyone be shocked by this?
SuperCool on November 21, 2009 at 12:26 AM